Reinforced kitchen or utility unit



July 1, 1952 G. L. c. EARLE 2,602,014

REINFORCED KITCHEN OR UTILITY UNIT Filed Sept. 29, 1947 2 SHEETS -SHEET l INVENTOR. 50mm L-CE 491.5

BY all? ATTOAMEY y 1, 1952 G. L. c. EARLE 2,602,014

REINFORCED KITCHEN OR UTILITY UNIT Filed Sept. 29, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. Gum/v L C. EARLE BY MZZJK/qi A T TOANE Y Patented July 1, 1952 Guyon L. o. Earle, Forest Hills,'N. Y. Application September 29, 1947, Serial No. 776,693

This invention relates to large metal kitchen and utility units and more specifically to the reinforcement of such units to prevent distortions thereof in moving them.

In many kitchen and utility units, such as the kitchen unit disclosed in Patent 2,349,541, issued May 23, 1944, to Guyon L. C. Earle and the utility unit disclosed in the Earle application, Serial No.

629,680, filed November 19, 1945, now abandoned,

the lower portion consists of a plurality of separate units. By way of example, the lower portion of the kitchen unit of the above-identified patent comprises the lower portion of a set-back refrigerator unit, a sink unit and the lower portion of a set-back stove unit while the lower portion of the utility unit to which the above-mentioned Earle application is directed comprises the lower portions of space heater, clothes washer and deep freeze units. of metal and are very heavy. Despite this, it is often desirable to move the lower portion of a whole kitchen or utility unit (or the entire unit) at one time for convenience in shipping or in- 'stallation. The various sections (little lower portion of the unit are mounted on a common base member which tends to hold in place the bottom portions of the varioussections of the unit but, as so frequently happens when pipes or rollers are placed under the middle of a heavy object to assist, the basemember is bent during this movement, forcing the upper ends of the various sections away from one another. The present invention, in one of its primary aspects, is concerned with the alleviation of this difiiculty.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved reinforcement for kitchen and utility units of the type in which there are a plurality of vertical sections mounted side by side.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved method of reinforcing the lower portion of a m'ulti-section kitchen or utility unit of the set-back type to assist in holding the various. sections thereof in place during moving.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a novel reinforced table-top member for a kitchen or utility unit.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a table-top member for a multi-section kitchen or utility unit which serves to keep the various sections in place especially while they are being moved.

These and other objects are attained in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention by providing a table-top member of sheet metal which has a turned-down apron at These units are for the most part.

3 Claims. (01. 312 -107) each end which is reinforced with thicker mate-- tendency of the basemember to bend is counterrial and which is adapted to he slipped over the outer ends of the top of the lower portion of a set-back kitchen orutility unit and fit snugly therewith. By this means, the table-top member is maintained in a flat condition and the tops of the various sections of the lower portion of the unit are held snugly in place. With such a tabletoplfnember in position during the shipping and movement of the lower portion of the unit, the

acted because it takes a much greater force to stretch the metal of the table-top member in a horizontal direction than it does to bendthe base member of the unit. v

v The invention will be more readily understood by'referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof,"in which: Q

I Fig. 1 is a perspective viewof the lower portion ofa-kitch'en unit of the set-back type showing the novel table-top member which serves also as a means for reinforcing this portion of the unit during shipping and the movements necessary for installation; v I s Fig. 2 is a top view, with portions broken away,

of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a front vview of the'arrangement of iezlr' Fig. 1 represents what may happen to the metal "floor base portion for the unit shown in Fig; 1 'when the arrangement of Fig. 1 (withoutthe reinforcing table-tbpinember) is being rolled from one place toanother over a pipe; and N I Fig. -5 is a side view; of the arrangement of F I Referring more specifically to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows by way, of example and-in perspec tive, a kitchen unit lower portion l0 reinforced in accordance with the invention. While the description which'follows will be directed tothe kitchen unit shown in the drawings, it'will be obvious that the inventionis equally applicable to a' utility unit, such as the type disclosed in the above-identified Earle application, forfexample, or to other articles of heavy furniture arranged in a unit.

The arrangement I!) comprises the lower portion H of a refrigerator of the set-back type;

such as is disclosed in Earle Patent 2,312,326,

issued March 2, 1943, for'example, a sink unit I2 which may be equipped with a towel drying compartment as disclosed in Earle Patent 2,328,129, issued August 31, 1943, and the lower portion 13 of a stove unit of the set-back type which may be of the type disclosed in Earle Patent 2,180,459, issued November 21, 1939. The whole unit rests on a recessed base 14 which is preferably a reinforced steel framework.

Reference will now be made to Fig. 4 which illustrates what takes place when the arrangement I is moved from place to place. The bottoms of the sections ll, 12 and I3 are firmly fastened to the base member 14 but when a pipe or a roller I5 is used to roll the assembly [0 into a shipping container or into the room Where it is to be installed, the weight of the end sections II and I3 is so great that the member 14 is bent and the tops of the sections H and i2 .and of I2 and 13 are forced apart. Of course; a very massive member l4 could be usedb'utthis would 1 only add to the weight and expense. In order to solve this problem, a novel tabletop member [6 is used. This member is ofithin sheet steel or aluminum, for example, both of which have great tensile l strength and it would require a=tremendous pull to stretch this memher in the directions of the arrows .infFig. '2, The member 16 has twodownwardly extending end aprons ii and lfiland a downwardly extending front apron 19. 'To reinforce these aprons, metal strips 20, 2| and 22, respectively, are attached, by any suitable means, such as'by spot welding, for example. When the ,tabletop member i8 withits downwardly extending aprons l1, l8 and i9 isplaced over, the'tops of the sections H, 12 and [3, they areheld firmlydn position, as shown in Fig. 3, rather thanbeing separated as in Fig. 4. Due to the fact that the table-top member l8 doesno'tiextend as far .as the backwall 23 of the assembly Hi (the upper portions, not shown, of the kitchen unit are adaptedto be positioned above the rear portions 24, 25 and 25 of the refrigerator, sink and stove sections 11,. 52 and'i3flrespectively, the upturned end'2l' of the member 55 preferably projecting under these upper portions as disclosed, forexample, in Earle patent application Serial No. 600,800, filed June 21, 1945, now Patent No. 2,550,539), there is no apron at the rear of the member it but none is necessary because the rear ends of the aprons H and 18 cannot be forced in directions away from one another without stretching the memher in tension.

If desired, the strips 20, 21 and 22 may be replaced by two angle irons, one at either front corner, of the approximate size of the broken out portion in .the lower left-hand corner of Fig. 2 or by other appropriate reinforcing -means. The important point is that this reinforcement serves the double function of reinforcing the table-top member 16 and of preventing the tops of the various sections ll, i2 and I3 from spreading apart during shipment or installation.

The table-top member HS may have cut-out or indented portions 28 and 29 for a sink and cut-out portions 39 for a stove. If the, tabletop member [6 is used in a utility unit, these cut-out and indented portions are not present but there may be other ones suitable for clothes washer and deep freeze unit access doors. It

is obvious that the invention is the same regardless of whether the table-top member is used in a kitchen or a utility unit.

Various other modifications can be made in the embodiment disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A kitchen or utility unit comprising a multiplicity of sections of similar height adapted to be supported from the floor of a room and arranged side by side so that their front surfaces are aligned with respect to one another, a metal floor base member common to all of said sections, and a metal table-top member on top of all said sections and having a reinforced r apron at each end thereof which contacts the adjacent outer surface of an outside section for maintaining the tops of said sections pressed against one another.

2. A kitchen or utility unit comprising a multiplicity-of sections of similar height adapted to be supportedfrom the floor of a room and arranged side by side so that their front surfaces are aligned with respect to one another, a metal floor base member common to all of said sections, and a metal table-top member on top of ail said sections and having a reinforced apron at each end thereof which contacts the adjacent outer surface of an outside section for maintaining the tops of said sections pressed against one another, the reinforcement for said apron comprising strips of metal fastened to said endaprons to add stiffness thereto.

3. A kitchen or utility unit comprising a multiplicity of sections, of similar height adapted to be supported from the floor of a room and arranged side by side so that their front surfaces are aligned with respect to one another, a metal floor base member common to all of said sections, and a metal table-top member on top of all said sections and having a reinforced apron at each end thereof which contacts the adjacent outer surface of an outside section for maintaining the tops of said sections pressed against one another, the reinforcement for said apron comprising strips of metal attached to said end aprons to add stiffness thereto and a reinforcing strip across at least part of the front of said table-top member attached to said front and to said reinforcing strips for the aprons.

GUYO-N L. C. EARLE.

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,573,254 Lachaine Feb. 16, 1926 2,063,725 Clark Dec. 8, 1936 2,101,852 Hammer Dec. 14, 1937 2,178,411 Tietz Oct. 31, 1939 2,180,459 Earle Nov. 21, 1939 2,222,960 Strachan -1 Nov. 26, 19 0 2,349,541 Earle May 23, 1944 

